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The Ressurection of Ohg Rea Tone
Ohg Tone and I have been friends for forty years. I first remember him when my oldest daughter was two years old. Ohg showed up and brought sarcastic humor into my family. As crude as he is – there is always a spark of humor. Ohg became a writer for thefiresidepost.com in 2007. After five […]
25Dec2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on The Ressurection of Ohg Rea Tone | Continued
Climate Change Is About Rate Of Change And Individualism
We have argued before that climate change is about rate of change. Our planet has been as much as fourteen degrees hotter than our current temperatures and life flourished. Dinosaurs roamed the lush tropical forests of South Dakota. Scientists have known for years that we are not going to bake in the oven. The question […]
20Nov2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Climate Change Is About Rate Of Change And Individualism | Continued
Testing! Nuclear Testing! Guess How Many Nuclear Tests Have Been Conducted
Other than a few lost tribes in the Amazon people are aware of nuclear bombs. We know some things, like which countries have the capability, which countries want the capability, which countries we do not want to have the capability, and which countries have nuclear warheads mounted on intercontinental ballistic missiles. All scary things by […]
16Nov2013 | Gary Clark | 2 comments | Continued
“Life Has Killed The Dream I Dreamed”
Have you ever felt like Fantine? Remember her – that forlorn girl of Victor Hugo’s imagination? Hugo was a master of the forlorn, of les miserables. We live in an unfair world. That has been the case in my life – but life often favored me. My life was blessed with work and play, blessed […]
28Sep2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on “Life Has Killed The Dream I Dreamed” | Continued
The Somber Occasion of An Abortion
My friend, Jubila, and I were having our daily debate about how smart we are as compared to the people with whom we disagree. Generally speaking my friend and I are thought of as liberals so it should not surprise anyone that we think highly of ourselves. Oh if life were so easy. It is […]
16Aug2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on The Somber Occasion of An Abortion | Continued
Comments on Co-Dependency – From a Friend’s Facebook Post
(Update for clarification on May 26, 2014. We recently heard a long time member of Al-Anon, the support program for family and friends of alcoholics, comment that she is not co-dependent. She said that she can be a bitch with or without the alcoholic. The point is that co-dependency is a therapeutic term – not […]
15Aug2013 | Gary Clark | 2 comments | Continued
Jesus For Dummies
Christianity has spread around the globe – or at least some version of Christianity. The question is: What is the correct truth? or perhaps: Is there a definitive truth? or: Is truth personal? A little background might help. For the purpose of limiting our discussion to Christianity we will start around 1500 C.E. There was […]
14Aug2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Jesus For Dummies | Continued
The Oddities of Genius
Have you ever known a genius? Genius is usually a word used to describe certain traits of intelligence. We might say a genius has a passion for learning and has unique processing capabilities. They generally show a creativity and intelligence beyond their peers. Some definitions are more fixed or measurable, like the score on an […]
15Jun2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on The Oddities of Genius | Continued
McCartney on Colbert
There is nothing we can add to this other than to say how much we appreciate Comedy Central allowing us to embed this video.
14Jun2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on McCartney on Colbert | Continued
Corresponding With an Inmate in the Missouri Department of Corrections
Geez – corresponding with an inmate in the Missouri Department of Corrections can be very rewarding – and very frustrating. I am learning the rules as we go. My friend Joey is serving time for his fourth DWI. I do not dispute the sentence – DWI is a serious offense. Driving while intoxicated is responsible […]
1May2013 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
The Agenda of Theological Seminary – a False Prophet
Crystal Gayle would sing, “Now I go down this wrong road again, going back to where I’ve already been”. That should be the theme song for theological seminary. The purpose of theological seminary is to frame the nonsense of juvenile teachings about religion in a more adult manner. I am going to paint with a […]
30Apr2013 | Gary Clark | 4 comments | Continued
Prop 8 As A Catalyst For Positive Change
Irony is afoot. The latest polls show that there are now more Americans supporting Gay Marriage than before the turbulent reaction to California’s Proposition 8. Proposition 8 is a California initiative which denies the right of same sex couple to marry. I have to ask, “Why?” Why this swift change in ideology? What argument is […]
27Mar2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Prop 8 As A Catalyst For Positive Change | Continued
The Conumdrum of the 2nd Amendment in the Post Modern Era
We humans have crossed a threshold, a military threshold. When the Constitution and Bill of Rights were written there was an equality of arms between a ‘militia’ and any government. Governments of that era did have canons – but these were of limited mobility and accuracy. Most militia men living along the Potomac did not […]
5Mar2013 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
Court Jokes
Once there were two gay judges. They tried each other. Just think of it this way. When you are on trial you are being judged by twelve people not smart enough to avoid Jury Duty. A man is brought in for stealing a pair of shoes. The judge says, “You were in here last year […]
1Mar2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Court Jokes | Continued
Military Priorities – Education, Health Care, and Golf
The Sequester is upon us. I just saw a feed on CNN that the military is going to cut back on military funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. One might think these nuts have their priorities out of whack. Anyone who talks revenue increases confine themselves to taxing the top 2% income bracket. But what about […]
28Feb2013 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Demons – Jesus and Jung
Another question to the Jungian psychologist – Jesus cast out demons, how does this relate to Jung? How might these demons be the same or different? My friend is a Jungian psychotherapist – He and I read much of the same material – but he is way ahead of me on Jung – so I […]
27Feb2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Demons – Jesus and Jung | Continued
Choosing the Right Coffee House
To get started in finding the right experience with coffee, you have to choose a coffee house. This is important because there are a lot of coffee houses out there that are expensive and cushy, but do not fall into the “micro-brew” coffee house category. Micro-brew coffee shops will roast their own coffees on the […]
21Feb2013 | bryan | 1 comment | Continued
Jung and Alcoholism and Drug Addiction
Carl Jung was a genius on the level of Albert Einstein. Jung might say that he and Einstein were able to tap their unconscious and the collective unconscious for what appear to be ideas of the human imagination. Jung’s work now defines an entire branch of modern psychology – in his lifetime he captured the […]
18Feb2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Jung and Alcoholism and Drug Addiction | Continued
Choosing the right coffee drink
The owner of the coffee shop where I worked was a stickler for quality, and I worked with him for over two years. There were customers in our store that came to our location because I was working, trusting that my skill with steamed milk and my knowledge of espresso would come together in a […]
9Feb2013 | bryan | 6 comments | ContinuedTo Be, or Not To Be – Do We Have a Choice?
Hamlet asked, “To be or not to be?” That was his question. He was addressing some new information in his life which presented ethical questions – like “Do I shed more blood or do I let it go?” The question has presented itself many times in my life. Generally, I shed the blood. So I […]
24Jan2013 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on To Be, or Not To Be – Do We Have a Choice? | Continued
Creepy Ad by drawtheline.org
My first take on this ad was that it was produced by some anti-abortion provocateur to discredit the celebration of 40 years since Roe V. Wade. This smooth talking black guy is offering a rose and a glass of wine as a toast to the judicial victory. I interpreted an image of Obama – clearly […]
24Jan2013 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Creepy Ad by drawtheline.org | ContinuedBearing the Sword of Justice
I am Aries, born under Mars. I swing a heavy sword, the heavy sword of justice. The sword strikes at ignorance, at injustice, at human frailty. A child is threatened. Captured by the rogue of the closed mind. The child, once destined for greatness, becomes the rogue. Small town America, a bastion of self righteous […]
17Jan2013 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Bearing the Sword of Justice | Continued
Why Obamacare Isn’t Enough
We have been entangled in a running debate in our society about health care, the related skyrocketing costs, and how we are going to pay for them. In spite of the political backlash initially endured by the White House Administration, the Affordable Care Act, where the rubber meets the road and where the pocket book […]
31Dec2012 | bryan | Comments Off on Why Obamacare Isn’t Enough | Continued
15 Amp Rovian Politics
Lee Atwater and Karl Rove can take credit for the partisanship of America’s 21st Century politics. By playing on the ignorance of the masses, the lack of critical thinking, the fears, the prejudices, and the perverted glory people find in righteous indignation at the expense of others – Atwater and Rove changed the face of […]
3Oct2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Ban Movie Theater Costumes – Not Guns
We live in an increasingly strange world of conservative logic. Last week a disturbed man went into an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater, armed with sophisticated guns, and shot 71 people – 12 died. This is a time of national mourning. The conservative politicians and pundits are saying, out of respect for the dead and wounded, […]
24Jul2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Ban Movie Theater Costumes – Not Guns | Continued
Boy Scouts – False Prophets – Eject Gay Eagle Scout
According to the St, Joseph, Missouri, News Press, “A 19 year old Boy Scout has lost his job at Camp Geiger after disclosing that he is gay”. Words like ‘hypocrisy’ come to mind. That boy was “trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent,” and what did that get him? […]
19Jul2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Can Hatred Counter Love?
Is hate more powerful than love? Does hate match love dollar for dollar? Hate is proportionate to love – the more one loves, the more one can hate. The comparison is not one for one. Have you ever been consumed with bitter hatred for many weeks, stretching into months, or years? Hate does that. Hatred […]
15Jul2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Penn State Child Sexual Abuse by Sandusky
The warnings are legion. The past fifty years has surely taught us that child sexual abuse cannot be protected in the interest of an institution. From the Boy Scouts to the Catholic Church the scandals swirled – griping and choking the institutional life. With this horrendously embarrassing history of protecting pedophiles tucked away in an […]
12Jul2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Penn State Child Sexual Abuse by Sandusky | Continued
Old Women Talk and Gay Marriage
My mother is eighty-five years old. She has been living alone the past two months after my father, her husband of sixty-three years, passed away. She asked me to help refinish her dining room table – and what are you gonna’ do? So I sanded and polished while she sat and talked. I was surprised […]
7May2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 8 comments | Continued
The Rule of Law and the United Methodist Mistake
The next generations will inherit this church, and I am afraid they will inherit a church that does not reflect the kind of inclusion and hope for humanity that they are seeking in order to understand their relationship with God.
4May2012 | bryan | 2 comments | Continued
“Never Brag On Your Children”
A relevant post revisited: December, 2009. Parenting can sometimes feel like a complex endeavor – especially when the child is not cooperating. When the child is failing to meet expectations, to make the grade in school, to make the basketball team, to identify future aspirations – whatever – parents can become frustrated. And that frustration […]
22Apr2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Drop Secret Service Protection, Arm The Candidates
FOX News is making a big toot about a recent law that bans protesting within a certain distance from anyone who is protected by the Secret Service. FOX is proud to note that “Obama signed the Law” – as if the President acts alone in passing laws. The Republican House passed the law. The Democratic […]
22Apr2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
An Open Letter To Obama Haters
Once again my friend Herb Shane has posted something on facebook that is so well done that I am compelled to cut and paste it into a post on this site. Thanks Herb. Open letter to the Obama Haters: To your distress, for most of the rest of your life, you will bear this: […]
11Apr2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 8 comments | Continued
Atticus Finch Killed A Dog!
Is context important? Atticus Finch was a lawyer who defended a black man charged with raping a white woman. The locals were pretty angry with Atticus. And angry people will do just about anything to discredit the perceived source of their unhappiness. Imagine the headlines in the morning paper after Atticus shot the rabid dog. […]
10Apr2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Atticus Finch Killed A Dog! | Continued
Trayvon Martin – Racism – and the Media Message
We live in difficult times. The murder of Trayvon Martin in Florida has refocused our Nation’s conscience on racism. After a month of media review it appears that the murderer, George Zimmerman, was an over zealous wannabee-police-officer neighborhood watchman. Zimmerman was looking for his chance to be a hero. He saw a young black man […]
24Mar2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Trayvon Martin – Racism – and the Media Message | Continued
“…a false sense of urgency.”
We are worn out from GOP primary fatigue. Is that redundant? Doctor John Sharp, Harvard Medical School psychiatrist and author of The Emotional Challenge, recently said, “…fatigue dis-emboldens us.” The 21st Century has proven to be fast and furious. War is present. Facebook dominates. Ipad, ipod, smart phones, wi if, financial upheaval – economic uncertainty, […]
13Mar2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on “…a false sense of urgency.” | Continued
Conservatives Blame Solar Flares on God’s Anger
Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Floods, Pestilence, all products of an Angry God – determined to punish the United States of America for loathsome behavior. I can hear it now. Pat Robertson and Rick Santorum must be going crazy with delight. The latest round of Solar Flares are caused by God. God does not like the way we […]
8Mar2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Conservatives Blame Solar Flares on God’s Anger | Continued
Save Yourself – Then Pull Up the Ladder
It is not in the nature of man to escape danger and then abandon fellow humans who face the same danger. We see examples in every war of courageous self sacrifice to rescue fellow soldiers. We often see firefighters or police officers risk their own safety to help others. The idea works well at an […]
8Mar2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
“…Universal Masculine Purity” – The Conservative Ideal
Are we ready to return to the morale of Victorian England? It was the age of ‘class structure’. It was the age of male domination. It was the age of female submission. It was the age of child labor in textile mills. It was the age of long work days and poor health and nutrition. […]
29Feb2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on “…Universal Masculine Purity” – The Conservative Ideal | Continued
Santorum – The George McGovern of the GOP?
1972 was a desperate year for liberals. Civil Rights Acts were passed, anti Viet Nam protesting succeeded, Martin Luther King was gone, Robert F. Kennedy was gone, Richard Nixon was steamrolling with the Kissinger detente, women’s rights were on the table – and desperation to regain the White House led to fanatical overdoses of liberalism […]
14Feb2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
The Passion of Gun Lovers and Pit Bulls
Gun lovers can sure be passionate. We might have used the word fanatical – but that word has negative connotations. Is it possible to be passionate about guns and not be fanatical? Yes. Is it possible to be passionate about anything and not be fanatical? Yes. I wrote a post last week titled The Phenomenon of Modern Guns. That post instigated a healthy debate by gun lovers – and leads directly to this diatribe of values examination.
11Feb2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 13 comments | Continued
NASA – Visualization of Global Warming
Imagine Pat Robertson and NASA agreeing on anything. The anti-scientist and the pure manifestation of science are on the same page. Pat Robertson recently spoke on Global Warming on the 700 Club television spectacle, saying, They are defending the society. But I tell you stay in doors ladies and gentleman. Stay cool. Get fans or […]
30Jan2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on NASA – Visualization of Global Warming | Continued
The Coming Culture of Mean-Spirited Dissent
Mean-spirited dissent has replaced statesmanship as a guiding principle. The maddening downward spiral of political retribution has become the norm. The madness is magnified and given inertia in direct correlation to the speed of modern communications and the unleashing of vast amounts of money in SuperPacs. There is no time for thoughtful reflection. Every encounter […]
29Jan2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 4 comments | Continued
Three Wise Men and One Virgin
You can’t make this stuff up. I have heard that before – but these guy made this stuff up: Jay Leno said, “The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn’t for any religious reasons. They couldn’t find three wise men and a virgin.” Sometimes the comedians […]
24Dec2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Three Wise Men and One Virgin | Continued
Returning to the “Good Old Days” of Conservatives
We have to ask: What exactly doe conservatives mean when they say things like ‘we need to return to the days of common sense’? We found some old advertisements which may point to the more specific intentions. These advertisements came by way of an email. You know the kind – blanket the world with propaganda […]
18Jul2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Returning to the “Good Old Days” of Conservatives | Continued
Why We Continue to Support Our President
President Obama had a news conference last week. He talked sincerely about the state of our economy. We agree with him. We believe that the partisan politics in Washington is as responsible for the down economy as any other given factor. We really do find ourselves in a chicken-and-egg scenario. Current budget projections are based […]
2Jul2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
A Father Reflects on Father’s Day
Father’s Day. A day for celebrating our fathers, and a day for fatherly reflection. I am in the later category today. I was not a particularly good father when my children were small – and that gives one pause for reflection. Young and foolish, temperamental and energetic, smart and dumb-as-nails, motivated and selfish, educated yet […]
19Jun2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on A Father Reflects on Father’s Day | Continued
Everything Happens For A Reason
Have you ever heard anyone say, “Everything happens for a reason?” I have. And I just shake my head in wonder. It seems that people need some assurance that someone or something is in control – if not themselves. What do you suppose was the ‘reason’ for the shooting of Representative Giffords? I surely do […]
9Jun2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | 6 comments | Continued
The Romantic Ideal – Flawed Thinking or Good Old Optimism?
The good guy gets the good girl – and conversely the good girl gets the good guy. Bad guys always lose. High moral standards, good character, hard work, and unwavering principles always find victory. Bad governments do not endure while noble governments prevail. The era of romantic literature has revisited modernity – with predictable disastrous […]
28May2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Romantic Ideal – Flawed Thinking or Good Old Optimism? | Continued
NFL Dispute – Three Parties: Owners, Players, Public
The NFL Labor dispute is really aggravating. Such a labor dispute might be none of our business – except we the public are heavily invested in the NFL. There are times in our history when labor disputes have so directly impacted the public at large that our government has been forced to intervene. Think of […]
24May2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on NFL Dispute – Three Parties: Owners, Players, Public | Continued